Button.



J. STUART.

BUTTON.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. 11, 1909.

1,1 05,1 1 1. Patented July 28, 1914.

Del.

WITNEEEEE: |NVENTUR= HIEATTUR'NEV THE NORRIS EETERS CO, PHOTO-LITHO, @ASHINGTON, [L C 'rns PATENT orrion.

JOHN STUART, or SAUGATUGK, couivnc'rr'ou'r, Assrsnon or ONE-HALF r0 CLARENCE woos'rnn, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

BU'r'ron.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed. October ii, 1909.

' Patented July 28, 1914. Serial No; 522,179.

To all whomit may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN STUART, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Saugatuck, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Buttons, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates especially to im- I provements 1n cloth'faced dress-buttons, the

main object of the invention being to facilitate the manufacture of buttons having cloth faces and hard rims, and to enable persons who use either such buttons or common cloth-faced buttons easily to change their form and to cover or re-cover their faces with cloth or some other thin or flexible material. The invention consists of (1) a button-rim of particular construction, (2) the combination of this rim with a button, and (3) the combination of therim, a button and a facing, this rim and each of these combinations being hereinafter described and defined in the claims. U

On the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a button and this rim combined; Fig. 2, a face-view thereof; Fig. 3, a side view of the button alone; Fig. at, a crc'ss-section'of the rim; Fig. 5,'a side view of the button and cross-section of the rim attached to the button; Fig.6, a side view of a button and the rim difierently combined, the button being either that shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5, or another similar to it; Fig. 7 a face-view of the combined button and rim shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 8, a cross-section of the rim; Fig. 9, a side view of the button alone; Fig. 10, a side view of the button and cross-section of the rim attached to the button, the rim and button being combined as represented in Fig. 6, Fig. 11, a side view of a button, the rim, and a cloth or other flexible facing combined; Fig. 12, a side view of the button and a cross-section of the rim and facing, these being combined as represented in Fig. 11; Fig. 13, a side view of a button, and a cross-section of a rim and facing differing from the rim and facing shown in Fig. 12; and Fig. 14:, a top-view of the facing which is shown in cross-section in Fig. 13.

Similar reference-numerals designate like parts in different views.

; have been described or 9 having a tuft 2,

The button 1, shown alone in Fig. 3, and H1- combination with. a detachable rim in Figs. 1, 2. and 5', is a common cloth-faced button, having a tuft 2,; the cloth facing extending over the edge 3 of the button. The detachable rim f is a resilient ring. which ispreferably' made with dies from a blank of sheet-material, which may be metal or celluloid or some other substance, the preferred material being celluloid. This ring comprises two narrow inwardly extending lips 5 and 6 made to fit on the face and back of the button near its edge. .The lip 5 is preferably curved inward close to its inner edge so that it forms an annular bead, whereas the lip 6 inclines from its inner edge toward the other lip conforming substantially to the margin of the back, or the rear margin, of the button. The shape of either lip might differ from that shown,

and since to alter the shape of either or each lip would bezto alter the appearance of a combined button and rim, obviously rims can be produced by means of which the appearance of buttons can be much varied. The rim 1 can be appliedto the button 1 by inserting the back of the button in the lip 5 of the rim and then forcing the edge of the button through the lip. This can be done readily with the hands. The lip 5 is expanded by theaction of the button upon the inwardly curved marginof the lip, and the resiliency of the rim contracts the lip over the edge of the button. When the rim is thus attached to a button the lips 5 and 6 fit on the face and back respectively of the button, the lip 5 forming a marginal head, as appears by Fig. 5. The rim can be detached from the button by forcing the edge of the latter out of the rim through the lip 5, and the rim can be re-attached to. the same button or applied to any other having substantially the form of the button 1.

The combined button and rim shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 10 may be either those which others like them, the these figures and in Fig. and, the rim having lips 5 and 6 as shown in Figs. 8 and 10. When this combination is made the edge 3 of the button is forced through the lip 5 so that this lip, contracting over the edge 3, makes contact with the back, whereas the lip 6 fits on the face, of the button. In this combination the lip 6 forms on the button what is button 1 shown in known as a beveled edge. The parts of this combination can be separated by forcing the edge of the button out of the rim through the lip 5, and they can be re-combined, or the rim can be applied to another button, so that either the bead 5 or the lip 6 shall be on the face of the button.

The combination shown in Figs. 11 and 12 comprises a button 1, a rim 4, and a facing 7 of cloth or other flexible material, and is produced by covering the face of the button with the material and then forcing the button and rim together with the covering between them, so that the latter is held by the co-action of the button and rim upon it, the lips 5 and 6 of the rim pressing on the covering at the back and front respectively of the button, as indicated in Fig. 12. The piece of material forming the covering is preferably of such size that when it is secured to the button as described it will extend from under the rim at the back of the button. This extra portion 8 of the material can be out off afterward. The rim can be removed from the button and facing by forcing the button and rim apart as explained above. Obviously the faces of buttons can be covered or re-covered whether or not the buttons to which coverings are applied already have cloth or other flexible facings.

The facing shown in Figs. 13 and 14 is a thin flat disk 9 which may be celluloid, metal, or other material less flexible than cloth. The elements of this particular combination are abutton 10 whose face 11 is flat, and a resilient rim 12 having lips 13 and 14, the shape of the lip- 13 being substantially that of the lip 5 of the rim above described. The lip 14 curves inward next to its inner edge as indicated in Fig. 13. This facing is secured to the button by holding it on the face of the button and forcing their edges intothe rim through the lip 13. When this lip contracts over the edge and on the back of the button the inner edge of the lip 14 is drawn against the facing.

It will be understood that rims like those above described can be made to fit buttons of different sizes, and it is proposed to manufacture such rims for buttons of standard sizes and to sell the rims unattached to buttons, as well as to manufacture and sell combined buttons and rims. Such rims can be applied readily to common cloth-covered buttons by any dress-maker, and will render it easy to provide buttons with facings of cloth like that of the garment on which they are to be used, and to re-place a worn or soiled facing with a new one, and to re-face buttons so as to fit them for use on garments of different colors and kinds of cloth.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

' 1. A button-rim consisting of a resilient ring comprising two narrow inwardly extending lips made to fit on the face and back of a button near its edge, the form of one of said lips rendering the lip expansible by the action of the button upon it when the rim and button are pressed together, and the resiliency being effective to contract said lip over the edge of the button.

2. A button-rim consisting of a resilient ring comprising two narrow inwardly extending lips made to fit on the face and back of a button near its edge, the form and resiliency of the ring adapting it to be attached to and detached from the button.

3. A button-rim consistingof a resilient ring comprising two narrow inwardly extending lips macro to fit on the face and back of a button near its edge, these lips differing in shape, and the form and resiliency of the ring adapting it to be attached to and detached from the button, the ring being ap plicable to the button with either lip next to the face thereof.

4. The combination with a button of a resilient rim that covers the edge of the button and comprises two narrow lips between which the button fits, the form and resiliency of the rim adapting it to be attached to the button after it and the rim have been separately made.

5. The combination with a button of a facing, and a rim consisting of a resilient ring comprising two inwardly extending lips that fit on the face and back of the button near its edge, the form of the lip that fits on the back of the button rendering this lip expansible by the action of the button upon it when the rim and button are pressed together, and the resiliency being effective to contract said lip over the edge of the button, the face of the latter being covered with the facing.

JOHN STUART.

In presence of- CHAs. J NASH, HARRY R. SHERWOOD.

Wafliing'ton, D. C. 

